August was my biggest month of reading EVER! I wanted to see if it was possible to listen to a book a day for the entire month, and still take careful notes, and fully process the ideas I was encountering. In the end, I fell one book short, having listened to thirty books in thirty-one days. What a mind opening experience! Of the thirty, there were eight that I’d strongly recommend.
My top picks are: “The Man Who Wasn’t There”, “Running is My Therapy”, “The Coming Storm”, “Million Dollar Outlines”, “A River in Darkness”, “The Lucifer Principle”, and “Atheism – A Very Short Introduction”.
While all of the above books are important reads, the book that really stood out for me was “The Man Who Wasn’t There” by Anil Ananthaswamy. This book is a deep dive into the nature of self. By looking through the lens of various mental ‘disorders’, Ananthaswamy demonstrates the fictitious nature of our sense of self. If you want to better understand what makes you and others tick, this book will open your eyes, and hopefully your mind to our narrative realities. It’s both very informative, and fascinatingly interesting. The only reason not to read this book, is that you want to remain behind the veil of ignorance, believing that you are the master of your conscious world.
The biggest loser of the month was “The 10X Rule”, by Grant Cardone. This book is FILLED with some of the worst advice I’ve ever heard. Although I will borrow his 10X rule for this review – Don’t read this book! Don’t read this book! Don’t read this book! Don’t read this book! Don’t read this book! Don’t read this book! Don’t read this book! Don’t read this book! Don’t read this book! Don’t read this book! Heck, I think 11X is better than 10X any day – Don’t read this book!
Here is a list of the books I read in August, in the order that I read them:
Running is My Therapy – Scott Douglas ****
The Beekeeper’s Lament – Hannah Nordhaus ***.5
The Argonauts – Maggie Nelson ***
Letting Go of Worry, Embarrassment, and Regret – Jennifer Allison **.5
The Coming Storm – Michael Lewis ****
Rise and Grind – **.5
The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work – John Gottman ***.5
Hardcore Self Help: F*ck Anxiety – Robert Duff ***
Touching a Nerve – Patricia Churchland ***.5
Perennial Seller – Ryan Holiday ***
Million Dollar Outlines – David Farland ****
A River in Darkness – Masaji Ishikawa ****
Side Hustle – Chris Guillebeau ***
Freedom From Pain – Peter Levine ***
Cognitive Surplus – Clay Shirky ***.5
13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do – Amy Morin **.5
Super Rich – Russell Simmons **.5
The Tetris Effect – Dan Ackerman ***
Natural Disaster – Ginger Zee **.5
Shrill – Lindy West ***.5
The Lucifer Principle – Howard Bloom ****
The Lean Startup – Eric Reis ***.5
The 10X Rule – Grant Cardone **
Chronic Depression – Anthony Wilkenson **.5
Atheism – A Very Short Introduction – Julian Baggini ****
Four Futures – Peter Frase ****
Good in a Room – Stephanie Palmer ***
Book Yourself Solid – Michael Port ***.5
The Man Who Wasn’t There – Anil Ananthaswamy ****.5
Heart of a Lion – William Stolzenburg ***
(if you are not yet an Audible member, you can get one of these books for free, by signing up for a 30 day trial – use this link, and you’ll help support my work as well – Audible Trial Membership)